WINDHAM – This landmark property dates back to 1797, when John Swett acquired more than 500 acres here, and soon established his farm. Today, looking across the sweep of lawn and the stunning gardens to the unspoiled surrounding countryside, it is pleasant to consider how little can have changed over more than two centuries.

The present owners, who moved here in 1969, have been faithful and committed stewards, and more – restoring the original Colonial, updating it to provide contemporary comforts and amenities, and expanding it to a total of 3,300 square feet of living space, on three levels.
By the side entry, framed by lush gardens, is a huge patio/walkway of monolithic granite slabs quarried nearby. The wraparound patio includes a huge table – an 8-foot granite slab with a hole in the middle. This is a repurposed well cover, pre-Civil Wars.

The table is but one instance of materials from the property being used for building. Inside the home, wide boards and exposed beams are everywhere; wide pine forms the wainscoting and the pocket shutters in the living room, and the doors of the kitchen cabinets. Second-floor ceiling beams run the length of the house, and the exposed framing of the sunroom shows the marriage marks made by craftsmen c. 1800.

But the home is no museum. Stainless-and-black appliances, including gas range, and the butcher block island, are 2012-new. The tiled, cathedral-ceiling sunroom was added in 2001 and offers magnificent views through oversized windows and full-view doors. The furnace is new. The lofty third-floor master bedroom is a mid-1980s upgrade that has not dated and has a huge walk-in closet/attic space that could readily be finished to create a suite (plumbing on the two-bathroom second floor is handy just below).
The 40-foot-by-60-foot barn may actually pre-date the home, but it has new roofing and flooring, and lean-to support on each side.

Please note that extensive additional acreage, beyond the 20 acres listed, is also available. The listing brokers can provide details to interested parties.

The Clark Farm, at 24 Swett Road, Windham, is co-listed for sale at $599,000 by David Banks and David Ott of RE/MAX By The Bay in Portland, and is being shown by appointment.

For more information or to arrange a private viewing, please contact David Banks at 773-2345 or [email protected]; or David Ott at 553-7336, 838-6303, or [email protected].

Price: $599,000
Built: 1800
Rooms/bedrooms: 9/4
Baths: Two, plus one 1/2
Square feet: 3,300
Garage: Two-vehicle, direct entry
Lot size: 20 acres
Taxes: $5,941

Produced by the Marketing Department of the Maine Sunday Telegram, the Home of the Week is provided at no cost. Staff photos by Derek Davis. HOW suggestions: [email protected].